You Can Grab Free Hot Chocolate From Starbucks For The Rest Of December

Starbucks apparently wants to get weekend customers back in the door this December with free hot chocolate for the rest of the month. The world's largest coffee chain is no stranger to holiday season promotions, of course. Right on the heels of its Red Cup Day, when customers are given a free reusable holiday cup with a qualifying purchase, Starbucks is handing out short hot chocolates for free so long as you also purchase one of its handcrafted beverages in at least the grande size. The brand announced the promotion on Instagram with a caption that starts, "Hot Chocolate Cheer Weekends are here!"

That means drip coffees and steeped tea don't count towards that free cocoa, sorry to say. You'll have to order a Starbucks drink that requires some work on the barista's part. And you'll have to place that order in person, either in the drive-thru or in-store at the counter. Naturally, there's also a limit of one freebie for each order. The offer will be in effect on Saturdays and Sundays for the rest of 2023.

While the company's holiday promotions are par for the course, this one happens to be coinciding with a drop in sales that has shareholders and investors on edge. The Seattle Times recently reported that Starbucks had lost approximately $12 billion in market value (or just over 9%) as of a week ago.

Slowing sales and falling stock prices — which have occurred for the longest period since the chain became a publicly traded company over 30 years ago — are being ascribed to a number of factors, including labor disputes and ongoing boycotts. Additionally, many Americans are also struggling to keep their heads above water amid record-high rent, utilities, healthcare, food, and gas prices, with little leftover for handcrafted coffee drinks. With so much going on, it remains to be seen whether free 8-ounce hot chocolates will be enough to make a considerable difference in Starbucks' waning sales.